


The Temptress

by SunlightOnTheWater



Series: Pathways [8]
Category: Supernatural, The Chronicles of Riddick (2004)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Childhood Trauma, Gen, Late Night Conversations, Nightmares, POV Sam Winchester, Past Abuse, Past Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-05
Updated: 2014-09-05
Packaged: 2018-02-15 20:01:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2241621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SunlightOnTheWater/pseuds/SunlightOnTheWater
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Meg failed at bringing Sam in so Hell decided to try a new tactic.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Temptress

_She smiled at him, teeth stained with blood. Her hair was dark and drifting around her face in snake like tendrils. "Hello sweetheart," she cooed at him. "Lilith sends her regards."_

* * *

Sam catapulted upright in bed, mouth open in a silent scream. His whole body shook all over and he let out a soft whimper, shaking his head as he tried to banish Hell from his mind. He knew that Riddick and Kyra were both sleeping peacefully in their rooms and that if he made too much noise he would rouse one of them. He slipped out of bed and crept across the floor, hoping he wouldn't wake either of them. He made his way through the main room and into the hall. A few Necromongers glanced at him but then turned away, pretending they didn't see him.

He made his way down the halls, searching for an empty corner that he could break down in peace. Necropolis was always bustling, even late at night, which made finding a spot where he could sob in peace difficult. Finally he wandered into one of the abandon hallways, barely holding it together. Hell was slipping through the cracks, turning him worthless. He slumped down in the hall with a sob, the feeling of blood creeping across his skin. He could almost hear Meg purring in his ears, calling him a good boy and the savior of Hell. "No," he mumbled, chest heaving as he struggled to pull in enough air. "No, no, no, no! She's dead."

It didn't matter. Meg might be dead but she still haunted him in his dreams. She wasn't the only one. Others crept in with faces he knew well. Some were human and others were so horrifying that a human mind couldn't correctly recreate them. Sam shuddered as they washed over him, voices hissing in his ears as blood ran down his back. He dug his fingernails into his legs and sobbed, rocking slightly as he tried to ward off the images. "No," he mumbled, burying his head against his knees. "It's not real, it's not real. _Not real, not real, not real!_ " He moaned, a low and desperate sound and his whole body shook.

"I want you to meet someone new Sammy," Meg's voice purred in his ear and he sobbed out a choked plea to be left alone. Distantly he heard someone call his name and he shook his head, unsure what was real and what was in his head.

"Samuel." The voice was stern but level and the sound of his full name was enough to shake him away from Hell for the moment. No one in Hell had called him that; it had always been Sammy or any number of those pet names Meg and the others like to croon in his ear when he was bleeding and broken on the rack. He shivered all over and sucked in a deep breath, trying to work up the courage to lift his head. "Are you injured?" He shook his head immediately, arms shaking as he tightened the grip around his legs for a moment before forcing himself to relax some. He could do this. He could put himself back together before Riddick or Kyra noticed that he was missing. He forced in another breath and lifted his head.

It took him less than a minute to place the face before him. This particular Necromonger commander kept showing up, from the first time Sam had ventured out of the rooms he could tentatively think about as home to his last particularly bad panic attack. Long dark hair, braided thinly so that each one sometimes clicked against the next and shaved on the sides, and dark eyes that met his without hesitation. "Can you stand?" Sam considered that question, unsure. His legs felt, for the moment, like they were made of water. He knew better than to say so though. Demons were good teachers when it came to the consequences of showing weakness.

Pressing his back against the wall, he forced himself as upright as he could manage, all the while feeling those eyes on him. The intense study made him want to hunch back in on himself but he forced away the urge. He could do this. "You're not going to be able to walk like that," the Necro informed him, calm and nonthreatening. Just as if he were stating a simple fact. The words twisted around Sam's brain and he shuddered slightly, forcing Meg to the back of his mind where she lurked there, just waiting for his next nightmare.

"I'm fine," he spat out as his stomach rolled momentarily, threatening to evacuate the food he'd eaten earlier that night, before the flashbacks had begun. The Necro tilted his head slightly, as if trying to understand what Sam was getting at. He forced himself to move a step and almost fell, stomach protesting violently. The Necromonger reached out as if to steady him but hesitated, as if unsure that the contact would be welcome. Sam pressed a hand against the wall to steady himself, fighting down the urge to vomit.

"Let me help you," the Necromonger said, tone still calm and steady. "Please." Sam hesitated, unsure but knowing there was no way he would manage to get back to his room without assistance. If he didn't want Kyra, or worse yet Riddick who already thought he was worthless, to find out what had happened he would be forced to accept help. He nodded reluctantly, allowing the Necro to steady him and lead him back to his room.

* * *

_"Hey Sammy," Meg chirped from what appeared to be a wavering doorway, dripping blood down the rocks that formed the arch around her. "You're so pretty covered in blood like that."_

_"Isn't he just?" a voice cooed, the demon with dark hair like limp, bloody seaweed slinking into view._

_"I have to admit Ruby, I'm impressed," Meg said. "Being Lilith's little pet and all I hadn't thought you'd do this well with him."_

* * *

Something was terribly wrong. Sam had spent three long days living on little to no sleep as he dealt with flashbacks and a near constant sense of unease. He couldn't explain the feeling but he knew why it was there; Ruby. He hadn't seen her since she'd almost killed him in Hell, quite an accomplishment but not one that had made Meg at all happy, but he knew how she felt; like slime against his skin. He'd been feeling that since his last bad panic attack outside of the safety of his rooms but he couldn't pinpoint where it was coming from. Now he had ventured out of their rooms and into the main throne room in order to find the source of the unease.

It took only moments to zero in on Ruby. She was wearing a very beautiful young blonde who was murmuring in Riddick's ear, dress pulled down too low to reveal her breasts. "See the new slut?" Kyra asked, making him jump. She'd somehow figured out a trick to walking silently, just as Riddick did, and sneaking up on anyone she chose provided that the room wasn't completely silent. "Yet another one trying her luck, not like Riddick would take her to bed more than once." Ruby's cold blue eyes, borrowed just like the body, seemed to shear right through Sam and he shivered before she looked away. "Sam?" Kyra asked, voice suddenly worried. "Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah," Sam stammered, not entirely trusting Kyra to believe him. Babbling about Ruby sounded crazy in his mind and he couldn't imagine how insane it would sound to someone else. Without saying another word, he turned and fled the room, unwilling to stay under Ruby's dark stare one minute longer than he had to.

The hallways felt too crowded and made his skin crawl. He slid through the Necros, trying not to touch any of them as he stuck close to the wall. His breath came out in little pants and the image of what Ruby had been in Hell kept flicking into view every time he blinked. He paused, swaying slightly in another packed hall, and pressed his palm against his forehead, squeezing his eyes shut in an effort to push away the flashback. A hand settled against the back of his neck, making him flinch slightly. He expected a tight, maybe even painful, grip shoving him out of the way. Instead it just rested there, warm and steady. He sucked in a deep breath and forced his eyes open, trying to shove Ruby away. The panic was fading away, slowly settling back into the uncomfortable warning feeling. The Necromonger moved away before Sam could turn and figure out who it was.

* * *

_"You're just going to be so pretty all red," Ruby purred as she slid another chunk of skin off muscle and bone. All he could do was whimper and sob and wait for it to end._

* * *

Sam woke up gasping for breath, body soaked in sweat. The nightmares were getting worse now that he knew Ruby was here in Necropolis. He woke up only moments after he drifted off to sleep with phantom pains running up and down his body that refused to fade away until he could calm the pounding of his heart. It only got worse as the night progressed on and at this point he didn't want to go back to sleep.

He slid out of bed only to have his legs buckle, sending him to his knees on the icy black tile floor and sending a shiver through him. He forced himself upright and stumbled out of the rooms, collapsing in the hallway. He didn't care who went past at this point as full body shudders wracked his body. He'd been skinned three times in Hell but Ruby's had been the worst. She hadn't entirely known what she was doing, knife digging in unevenly and sometimes muscle coming up with skin. The pain had been excruciating and because she hadn't known what she was doing it had taken ages. A little sob escaped him and he gagged slightly, tasting something like the copper of blood on his tongue.

"Samuel?" The voice was a low, soothing tone that was growing increasingly familiar. His body jerked at the sudden sound and he shook his head rapidly, shuddering in silent terror. Riddick hadn't come back to the rooms tonight, a sure sign that he was in bed with Ruby, and that thought only increased his terror. He heard a voice inquire something, someone snap something back, and the footsteps that had been rushing back and forth fade away. There was a clink of armor as someone knelt and Sam shuddered again, the sound turning to the rattling of chains. "Samuel," the voice prodded again but he couldn't bring himself to move. "Look at me."

Sam shuddered all over as he heard Ruby laughing in his ear, licking his blood of her fingers like it was chocolate syrup. Tears ran down his cheeks, his eyes feeling as if they burned, and he gagged again, tasting bile. A shift of movement made him flinch but the hand that brushed through his hair was surprisingly gentle. "You're safe here," the Necromonger reassured him but he shook his head rapidly. Ruby's childish giggle echoed through his head and he gagged, shifting quickly and vomiting across the tiles. He'd barely choked down anything at dinner so most of what came up was stomach acid. He retched and gagged, body shaking and muscles struggling to hold him up.

An arm slipped around his ribcage and lifted him up gently, supporting him against the Necromonger's side. He was guided carefully back into the common room and settled down on the couch, a blanket whisked over him. Kyra emerged from her room wrapped in a silky black robe. She blinked sleepily, studying the scene before her with some confusion. "Stay here," the Necro commander ordered Kyra. "I am going to fetch the Lord Marshall." Kyra nodded at his retreating back and settled down with her back leaning against the couch, comfortable on the floor.

"Are you okay Sam?" she asked gently and all he could do was shake his head and tremble all over. His stomach was in turmoil, his head pounded, and he felt overwhelmed with absolute terror. Kyra lifted a hand to rest it against his knee, her expression sad and concerned. "It's going to be okay," she tried to reassure him but he shook his head rapidly, knowing that whatever happened next wasn't going to be good. "Trust me," Kyra insisted. "Commander Vaako will fetch Riddick and we'll get this all worked out."

The Necro commander returned with Riddick, Ruby trailing right behind the con. Her eyes focused on Sam as she slunk into the room and a false concerned look crossed her face. "Oh the poor sweetheart," she cooed, stepping forward, and before Sam even realized he was moving he found himself scrambling off the couch and backing away, whole body shaking with panic.

"Stay away from me," he found himself babbling and Ruby shook her head, fake sympathy gleaming in those glacier blue eyes.

"It's okay sweetie," she purred. "No one is going to hurt you." Sam gagged at her saccharine tone and flung his hand out when she took another step forward. She jolted to a stop, eyes suddenly black, and Sam heard Kyra's sudden gasp.

"Well isn't that interestin'?" Riddick drawled, sounding amused, and Ruby snarled.

"You should not have done that _boy_ ," she hissed at him, sending him flying back with a flick of her fingers. He slammed against the wall with a panicked cry, squirming like a pinned bug. Ruby pulled a knife out of nowhere, one with strange symbols on the blade that gleamed in the light. "I should have dragged you back the first time I saw you sobbing like a baby in that hall but no, Lilith insisted I play the long game. Well she's just going to have to deal with damaged goods." Sam whimpered, trying to break free as his heart tried to pound its way out of his chest. Ruby advanced and, to Sam's surprise, Riddick rose up behind her like a striking snake, backhanding her hard. She saw the blow coming and managed to dodge but the con still managed to send her blade spinning across the room.

Ruby shrieked in fury and threw Riddick back a few feet. The con landed light on his hands and feet like a dangerous big cat and Ruby's lips curled up in a snarl. The Necro lashed out too but fared no better than the con, flying actually through the door and into the hall. Ruby then turned to Riddick, taking a flying leap that struck the rising con in the chest and sent him hitting a wall. She flipped where she had connected with his chest, red dress rippling, and grinned at Sam, a smile that promised blood. A little panicked whine escaped him and then, to his bewildered surprise, her whole body gleamed with red and gold lightning. Ruby let out a startled cry and dropped to the floor, lifeless. Kyra stood over her body, the demon's knife clutched firmly in her hand.

Sam slumped to the floor with a sob and Kyra dropped the knife, scrambling around the lifeless corpse to wrap her arms around him, cradle him close. "It's okay," she murmured gently against his hair. "Everything's going to be okay. I promise." 

Sam flinched, startled, when another set of arms wrapped around himself and Kyra only to relax when Riddick rumbled, "You're safe now. It's over." He let himself sob then against Kyra's chest until exhaustion overtook him and he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

_He was drifting in a land of blood and pain as they screamed over him. "You stupid bitch," Meg was screaming. "You almost killed him!"_

_"As if this is my fault," Ruby shrieked back. "You should have told me how much he could hold up under!"_

_"If you fucking knew what you were doing we wouldn't have this problem," Meg snarled back and Sam let himself drift further and further away, wondering if maybe for once the pain would end and he'd have a chance before he moved on to Hell after his death._


End file.
